Chapter two

They headed out of town.

Carly and Lulu gabbed non stop. Lulu filled Carly in on Spinelli and how Lulu helped to save Jason's life. Carly told her she had been very brave and smart.

Jason muttered, "Don't encourage her."

They kept talking for an hour.

Jason finally butted in again and asked Carly, "Do you have any aspirin on you?"

"Is your leg hurting?" She dug in her purse and handed him some. "You need something to drink."

Milo said, "I packed a lunch. That is if Lulu doesn't mind sharing?"

"I guess." Lulu said

Milo fished in the back and then passed Jason a water.

After that, Milo pulled a ipod out of his pocket.

Lulu was slouched down next to him, her knees resting against the seat in front of her. Every time they went over a bump, her foot slammed into the seat.

"Do you think you can stop kicking me?" Jason barked at her

"Meanie!" she called out and kicked him again. Then she straightened up. She reached over and put her hand over Milo's, aiming the music player toward her. "What you listening to?"

"The...um..." He couldn't remember. All he could do was marvel at the fact she was touching him.

"Hmm?" She let go of his hand.

"The Fray."

"Oh, I love them!" Lulu cried "Share." She scooted closer and slid one head phone from his ear and into hers.

Milo swallowed, the song forgotten,, as he focused on the beautiful girl next to him.

Lulu sang the words, softly, getting some of them wrong. Milo thought she sounded like an angel. Her blue eyes connected with his eyes, she smiled shyly and stopped singing.

He closed his eyes, unable to keep eye contact with her and still resist the urge to kiss her.

Carly said to Jason, "You should let Milo drive."

"I'm fine."

"You do not have to do everything on your own. Lean on someone once in a while." Sweetly, she added, " It will not kill you, I promise."

Jason looked at her. Then nodded. At the next expressway exit he pulled off and into a gas station.

Lulu bounded out of the car, saying "I need chocolate."

Milo stared after her with a goofy grin on his face.

Jason turned, looked at Milo, and groaned "Well, go after her!"

"Uh, course, sure, sure, I'm going." Milo said as he hurried from the car.

"They are so cute." Carly said, smiling.

Jason shook his head.

"I hope Lulu," Carly continued "gives him a fair shot."

Carly sighed and added, "But I doubt she sees him as anything more than The Bodyguard." Her voice grew soft, "Isn't that sad, Jase?"

"No, not really."

"But Lulu might miss out of the love of her life!" Carly slapped his arm. "How is that not sad?"

"Love of her...oh, geez." Jason grumbled. "Just butt out of it, okay? I can't believe you would want her mixed up in our world."

Carly sighed. "I guess you're right. But it's tragic. Milo really has it bad for her."

Jason rolled his eyes. "She can't handle our lifestyle."

"She's a Spencer. She can handle anything."

Jason told her, " She's a kid. A loud mouthed reckless one at that."

"That's how all teenagers are." Carly argued. "Michael will be the same way when he is her age."

"Oh, no. Don't even say that! He will not be back talking us like she does. What we say goes."

Carly chuckled. "We shall see."

Jason got out of the car and into the back seat, Carly joined him.

With the car's interior light on, she looked down at his wound.

"How is you leg feeling?" she asked

"Like I got shot."

"On a scale of one to ten, what is your pain level?"

"You sound like a nurse."

"I almost was one."

He rolled his eyes. "Almost is a stretch."

"Pain level?" she insisted

"Six."

Carly said, "That means more like nine. Because you underestimate things all the time."

"If you say so."

She gave him a look, caught his eye, and said softly "I know so."

Jason was mulling over what that meant when the tornado of youth hit the car again. Lulu had a bag full of snacks and Milo carried two slurpees.

Lulu tossed some candy bars into the back seat.

"Hey!" Jason objected as a candy hit his forehead.

She said "You owe me three bucks for those."

"I never asked you to get me anything," Jason said.

Lulu smiled at him, "You're welcome."

Milo was staring at Lulu again.

"What is the hold up?" Jason asked, annoyed. "Drive, Milo!"

"Okay, sure, getting right on that, boss."

Jason whispered to Carly, "Can you do something about your cousin?"

"Like what?" Carly asked, amused. "Tranquilize her?"

"Works for me," Jason said.

"I heard that!" Lulu called out. Then to Milo she said, "I told you he's a mean one. I see why Carly chose Sonny instead."

Carly's hand flew to cover her mouth.

Jason's eyes were huge.

Carly said, in a firm mommy voice, "Lesley Lou Spencer, that is quite enough out of you. I think Jason could use a little quiet for a few hours so he can rest."

"Okay," Lulu said in a small voice. "Sorry."

Carly looked at Jason but he was staring out the window.

Carly leaned over, until her mouth was at his ear, and said, "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Jason kept his gaze out the window.

Carly moved back to her own side of the backseat. Both were lost in their own thoughts for a while.

After thirty minutes passed, Lulu flipped on the radio, cranking the volume high.

Jay- z rapped, "Can ya bounce with me, bounce with me

Ya-yah-yah bounce with me,"

Lulu sang along, off key, "Can I hit in the morning without giving you half of my dough

And even worse if I was broke would you want me? If I couldn't get you finer things like all of them diamond rings people kill for would you still roll?"

Milo joined in, in an exaggerated thug voice, "If we couldn't see the sun rising off the shore of Thailand would you ride then, if I wasn't dropping?"

Jason groaned, "Carly, can you make it stop!"

"Off." Carly commanded, though she did think the kids were really cute as they were jamming along to the music.

Still she didn't want Jason to get any more of a headache than he already had.

Lulu sighed and turned off the radio.

She whispered to Milo, "Some road trip, huh? We should have went alone. Then we could really have some fun. See Grace Land and then hit all the cool blues clubs in Memphis. Doesn't that sound like a blast?"

Milo nodded, his smile was huge. He imagined dancing with Lulu is some club where the light were turned down the low, and the song was some bittersweet lullaby.

Her voice low she suggested to him, "Maybe we could sneak away."

"Lulu." Carly warned.

"Maybe not." Lulu said , in a normal volume of her voice.

Carly wondered where Jax was now. Halfway to Australia probably. Would he come back for the wedding? For her? Had he meant the

words he said when he told her it was over?

If I can't make it work with him, Carly thought, who can I?

Every man I date is going to want more of my time than Sonny gets, more of my heart than Jason has, is going to want to come first, Carly told herself. But my life is already decided. I can't move away or change who I am.

The commitments she made, she intended to keep. She scooted over, till her shoulder touched Jason, and then took his hand in hers.

Jason said softly, "Thinking about Jax?"

Carly rested her head on his shoulder.

"It will all work out," Jason said "In the end."

In the end, Carly thought, I want to be just like this.

With Jason, her body touching his, their hands intertwined, and the future unknown, the only sure thing that they would be together.

So she said back to him, "I have no doubts that it will."